Wait. Seriously?

The sounds of textbook pages being flipped and pens gliding across paper

could be heard in the air-conditioned room. Once again, Masachika was working

on summer homework with Alisa in his living room. He was home alone with a girl

of unparalleled beauty. Although any ordinary boy in puberty would be imagining

all sorts of scenarios, this was their fourth study session together, so the novelty

had already worn off, and he was able to focus on his studies…or at least, he

wished that was how he felt right now. Every time Alisa came over, she became

quieter, and the pressure was gradually becoming unbearable. Pressure to do what,

one might wonder? Put simply, it felt as if Alisa were saying, "Are we really just

going to study every time we do this?"

Even now, he feltstrangely pressured asshe silently scribbled away,seeming composed.

Honestly, since the first day she came over, he felt she was dressed a little too nice just to

do homework. Be that as it may, women often dressed up for themselves to feel good and

not for others, so it would perhaps be egotistical, to put it lightly, to immediately think she

was dressing up for him. And that was why Masachika didn't mention her appearance once.

But today—today, she was wearing a little makeup, making her already otherworldly beauty

stand out even more. Her good looks were intimidating in a way, and there was no way

Masachika could ignore the signs anymore.

She is obviously dressing up forsome reason…even though we're only doing oursummer

homework…

Despite being used to looking Alisa in the eyes by now, when he saw her…armed to the

teeth like this, it captivated him. Perhaps the word captivated didn't do his feelings justice,

though. He was genuinely grateful to see something so pleasing to the eye. Just staring at her

brought him joy. He was essentially worshipping her.

"…What?"

Alisa picked up on his gaze and suddenly lifted her head in curiosity.

"Nothing… I was just noticing your makeup, since it's not often I see you wearing any."

"Oh…yes, I put on a little this morning, I suppose?"

"Well, you look— Uh… You look even more beautiful today than usual," he

complimented, albeit a little awkwardly.

"…Thanks," she stoically replied as if she was used to people telling her that. However,

the tense air from earlier seemed to somewhat dissipate, and her faintly curling lips showed

that his comment did make her happy, despite how it may have appeared. But the instant

Masachika bashfully looked down at his notebook, Alisa's lips tightened again. She glared

at the top of his head with clear discontent, fidgeting with the brand-new ribbon tied in her

hair while she whispered in Russian:

"<Then invite me to go out somewhere already.>"

"…You say something?"

"I just said you lost a point for taking so long to compliment me. That's all."

"Well, excuuuse me. You were just sooo beautiful that I was at a loss for words."

"Oh, come on. I simply got a little dressed up. Nothing more."

You can't seriously be saying that, thought Masachika as he coldheartedly glared at her

for having the audacity to say such a thing. Alisa never wore makeup. It was always as if she

was saying, "What? Makeup's against school rules? I don't care. I don't even wear makeup."

But not today. Although it wasn't much, she still did her makeup today, so to call that getting

a "little dressed up" like it wasn't a big deal was absurd.

Alisa averted her eyes from Masachika's skeptical gaze and added:

"I was… I was practicing a little. People in the real world would make fun of me for

not knowing how to do my makeup, so I figured I would give it a try whenever I had some

extra time on my hands…"

"Huh. Is that so?"

"…Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Just enjoying my eye candy. You look so beautiful, no matter what angle I admire you

from. I could admire you all day," he replied in a monotone voice, still impassive. After the

corner of Alisa's eye twitched, her face suddenly glowed as if she'd been struck with an idea

that made her smile.

"<Are you sure you're fine with just looking?>"

Her eyes were inviting and her voice teasing. Masachika stiffened at the sudden

seductive whisper in Russian.

"…What was that?"

"I was simply wondering if you even knew what good makeup looked like." She snorted

in a belittling way, crossing her arms while leaning back in her chair.

"<Come on now, you can touch if you'd like, know?>"

…Touch what?

Masachika was genuinely curious as the jiggling ripe melons reasserted their presence

over her arms. His eyes locked onto Alisa's; he felt somewhat annoyed by her cocky smile,

which curled with a sense of superiority as if to say, "Heh! You have no idea what I'm

saying!"

You little punk… I wonder how she'd like it if I said, "<Don't mind if I do!> " before

squeezing the ever-loving life out of her boobs.

He imagined the look on her face if he actually followed through. It was a deeply

interesting idea, and it was definitely something he'd love to try if he could save beforehand

and then reload his file. However, it was pretty obvious the option would lead to a gameover screen, and he valued his life, so he decided to stick to merely imagining her reaction.

Unaware of Masachika's gentlemanly (?) thoughts, Alisa brushed her hair back over her

shoulder with her right hand while suggestively adding:

"<You can do whatever you want to me today.>"

Hooray. I can squeeze the ever-loving life out of them.

After receiving permission in Russian, Masachika opened his hands before immediately

diving right into her cleavage…in his imagination, but in the real world, he simply looked

away, turning his gaze toward the world outside the window.

I bet she's thinking, "You had the chance of a lifetime, and you didn't even know it,

dummy. How pathetic." Well, guess what? I did know, and I'm being a gentleman pretending

not to understand! You're the dummy here! You should be thanking me!

He continued to have imaginary arguments in his head, acting like he didn't notice Alisa

gleefully smirking at him with a slight blush. He sounded like a sore loser but even more

pathetic. That was when Alisa suddenly sighed and came in with a follow-up attack.

"Time's up. You lose."

"…I lose what?"

When he glanced in her direction, she smirked back in a condescending manner, as if

he was some sort of simpleton.

"You just missed the chance of a lifetime."

"Excuse me?"

"I feel bad for you. You used up all your luck for the month."

"What are you even talking about?"

"You would know if you understood women a little better." Alisa snorted with an

eyebrow raised. She was acting like some sort of sophisticated older woman who was teasing

a young, inexperienced boy. Her arrogant gaze was dripping with a sense ofsuperiority. Even

Masachika was starting to get annoyed.

Excuse me?! "You would know if you understood women a little better. Derp." You don't

need to understand women to get what she's saying! You need to understand Russian! Using

a language barrier to protect yourself while you make fun of me… So you like to pretend

you're a dirty girl, huh?! Well, let's see if you can keep that arrogant smirk on your face

when I push you down onto the bed.

"Do it! Dooo it!" encouraged the little-devil Yuki on his shoulder while the little-angel

Maria on his other shoulder tried to stop him.

"You mustn't do such a thing to Alya!" she cried, helping (?) Masachika suppress his

savage instincts.

"O-oh? That's rich coming from someone who seems to know absolutely nothing about

men," he exclaimed, face tense.

"…Go on."

"You came into the house of a man who essentially lives alone. That's pretty naive if

you ask me." He laughed condescendingly, albeit with a sense that he was digging himself

into a hole. Alisa's eyebrows raised, and she lifted her chin with a provocative smirk.

"Oh, it is, huh? Prove it."

She was clearly trying to provoke him as if she was laughing to herself and saying, "You

don't have the guts to even touch me," which made Masachika sneer.

Heh… Heh-heh-heh… She's clearly underestimating me. Looks like it's time to switch

gears into cool-guy mode! I didn't watch all that dating sim–inspired anime for nothing!

There was no way he could back down now after being incited this much. He inwardly

howled like a wolf,slowly stood to hisfeet, and slid around the table to sit next to Alisa. When

she looked up at him, her arms still crossed, he prepared himself to gesture with his chin that

they should go to his room. It was a badass move that all the cool guys on TV did, but…

Hold on… Alya has a huge ego. Surely, she hates overconfident guys like this. I should

probably stick with something a little milder…

He suddenly changed his mind only moments before performing the act. Nevertheless,

his right hand was already reaching out, almost touching Alisa's cheek. There was no going

back now, but if he wasn't going to gesture with his chin anymore, what was he going to

use this hand for?

"…"

And after he hesitated as long as he could, he promptly slipped his hand under Alisa's

hair, placing it over her ear while he smirked and exclaimed:

"I'll be in my room waiting."

He then let out a smug chuckle, turned around, and stepped inside hisroom before closing

the door, where he confidently grinned as if to say, "I showed her!"

That ended up being even worse than gesturing to my room with my chin!! Ahhh!!

He collapsed to the floor, covering his face with both hands. He crawled over to the bed

and buried his face in his blanket to yell bizarre noises into the abyss.

"I'll be in my room waiting"?! What the hell is wrong with me?! That's something you

say to someone when they're getting up to go somewhere else! Like to take a shower or

something! Who the hell randomly says that to someone at the table, then leaves them there?!

He was creating an entire cringe compilation in real time that he would undoubtedly

recall in the shower for years to come. He writhed and squeezed the life out of his summer

blanket. His joints popped as he flexed every muscle in his body…and then he went limp.

Ngh… Well, I guess this could be a good thing depending on how you look at it. After

another minute goes by, I can just run out of the room and yell, "Why didn't you come?!"

and make it look like a joke. Then we could go back to doing our homework like nothing

happened.

Masachika used the power of optimism to console himself…when he suddenly heard a

hesitant knock at the door.

"…?!"

His face, buried in the mattress, popped up in shock, but after rushing to take a seat on

the edge of the bed, he nonchalantly replied:

"Yes?"

The door then slowly opened, revealing Alisa, who was looking down and seemed a

bit serious.

She actually came?! Why?!

Masachika tensed at the completely unexpected turn of events, but Alisa didn't seem

to notice. She crossed her left arm over her chest and used her right hand to play with her

hair. She was avoiding eye contact, and her expression said, "Well, I suppose I can give you

a passing grade for your pickup line. Anyway, here I am. You're welcome." She was still

acting as though she were this perfect, innocent woman who'd relit the competitive fire in

Masachika's heart. If that's how you want to do this, then let's do it, he thought. With every

fiber of his being, he relaxed his expression, then grinned smugly and patted the space next

to him on the bed, sweetly calling her over.

"Come. Sit me with me."

Kill meeeeee!

And he was immediately filled with regret. Doing something only cool guys could pull

off pushed his embarrassment past the breaking point, and he wanted to die. His expression

had frozen over, and he was mentally writhing in pain.

"…Hmph." Alisa coldheartedly snorted as she…

She sat down! Why?! Whyyyy?!

She sat down slowly, then casually recrossed her arms and continued to fidget with her

hair as she looked the other way.

This is the part where you're supposed to get disgusted and leave! Then I crack a stupid

joke, and everything's back to normal again! Are you sure you're okay with this?! I'm not

going to even mention what this is, but are you sure you're okay?!

They sat alone in his room on his bed. It was just the two of them. There was only one

outcome to this situation that Masachika could come up with.

Wh-wh-wh-what should I do?! Should I say some sort of stupid joke and ruin the mood?!

No, she'll think I'm a coward if I do that now! She'll think I'm some ball-less, no-good loser!

Which he most definitely was, regardless of what anyone else thought. He had neither

the courage to push her down onto the bed nor the guts to take the initiative with a woman

he'd brought to his room. But admitting that meant admitting defeat, and he was not going

to have that.

But if I back down now…

He imagined Alisa's smug, condescending smirk. "Oh? I thought you were going to

teach me how men work? Do men usually chicken out like this?" Despite knowing he created

the entire situation in his head, it still pissed him off. He could understand if it really was an

older, more experienced woman speaking, but…

You have no right saying something like that! You've never even had a boyfriend before!

You hardly even have friends!

Masachika took another step toward the motivating force in his heart: his rebellious

spirit, which was burning brighter than ever. He repositioned his hips to get closer to Alisa—

their legs were almost touching. While she continued to look away, he whispered into her ear:

"Are you nervous? That's so adorable."

Somebody, kill me! Please!!

He imagined himself leaning back as far as he could, covering his face in shame over

creating a new record for most consecutive cringey moments in a single day. He was set up

to fail, no matter what he did. It was a living hell.

Yuki! Ayano! I wouldn't even mind having Dad come rescue me now! I'll take anyone!

Just save me! Family members usually walk in during scenes like this anyway!

The hope that some anime cliché would bail him out was profound, but nothing that

convenient (inconvenient?) would ever happen in real life. Whatever the case, nobody ever

came to save him in the end. Alisa swiftly looked back at him with a sidelong glance. Her

face froze for a split second, but she immediately forced her lips to provocatively curve in

an attempt to hide it.

"Me? Nervous? Not at all. If anything, you're the one who seems nervous," she insisted,

lifting her chin into the air…before lying back onto the bed herself.

"Come on. You're going to teach me how men work, right?"

She stayed on her side with her body slightly curled, her cheeks faintly blushing. Her

unnaturally tense shoulders only further proved she was out of her element and trying way

too hard.

Seriously?! Stop pretending to be tough! You're giving me no other option except to

throw myself on top of you! On. Top. Of. You!

The situation had turned into a game of chicken. Whoever hit the brakes first, lost.

Ahhh! I'll even take a summoning circle to a parallel world now! People of the new

world, I have a female hero for you here! Hmm? Hold on. Wouldn't I get summoned, too,

and become a summoner if I keep sitting here? Whatever! I'll take anything! Aliens, invaders

from other dimensions—anything! Just get me out of this mess!!

Perhaps the universe had heard his calls, because Alisa suddenly moved as if she had

noticed something. She reached for the summer blanket on top of the bed…and her expression

cooled.

"…Masachika."

"Hmm?"

Out of nowhere, her voice was distant and lower than earlier, which actually made

Masachika feel a little relieved although confused. She then slowly sat up on the bed,

unconcerned with his reaction…and held out something she was holding in her right hand.

"What's this?"

It was a single, looong strand of black hair.

O-oh, that?

He thought back to the previous day when he'd wrapped Yuki up in the summer blanket

and finally realized what was going on. Yuki found a hair in my room and had the exact

same reaction! Ha-ha-ha! he thought, if only as a means to escape reality for a brief moment.

However, that was also when he suddenly realized that this was the moment he had been

waiting for. This was the dynamite he would use to blow himself out of this living hell. All

he had to do now was light the fuse, and he could annihilate this game of chicken, which

was about to give him a heart attack. Therefore, he overdramatically brushed back his bangs

and replied:

"Hmm? Ah, that must be Yuki's. She came over yesterday, and we wrestled on the bed."

"…Oh, okay."

When Masachika lit the fuse with that slap-worthy, scumbag remark, Alisa swiftly

reached out to grab his collar with an almost spine-chilling smirk.

She's going for my neck—!

But it was already too late. She had grabbed him by the collar and pulled him…but not

forward. Onto his side. She traced his exposed nape with her long snow-white fingers.

"Ah…" He instinctively made a soft grunt as a chill ran down his spine. The

embarrassment gave him the urge to look away…but he couldn't take his eyes off her. Her

terrifying yet seductive smile was both alarming and extremely charming. His breath caught

in his throat. She looked more mature because of her makeup, and her beauty wouldn't allow

him to avert his gaze. Perhapsit wassimilar to the scent of danger coming from an enchanting

witch. It was a path that clearly led to demise and yet it was impossible to ignore, for at the

end of the path was the allure of a real woman.

Eek! It's a mature woman…

Masachika was swallowed by this unknown side of his classmate, whom he'd thought

had only been faking it all until now. He couldn't resist and simply froze as her finger

continued to run down the nape of his neck.

"Then…"

Her faintly crimson lips curled into a dark smile.

"…what is this bite mark?"

"…Huh?"

Those words knocked him back to reality. He returned to his senses and ruminated on

that question…while cold sweat suddenly began to drip down his spine.

Ahhhhhh! I had no idea that was still there!!

He started to relive the pain from Yuki biting him the previous morning, simultaneously

imagining a devilish Yuki sinisterly cackling at him. Not only did he feel like a cheater, but

he also looked like one who'd been caught in bed with a hickey on his neck. It wasn't that

far from the truth, either.

Crap, crap, crap, crap! What should I do?!

His survival instincts frantically raised the alarm: The Armageddon was near, and it was

going to be far worse than he could have ever imagined. Having Alisa's fingers tracing his

nape was strangely eerie, reminding him how easily a strike to the neck could be fatal. He

desperately racked his brain for an excuse, but coming up with one for a bite mark wasn't

easy. Perhaps he could have softened the blow if he admitted that Yuki was his little sister,

but that option wasn't on the table. He had actually considered telling Alisa eversince Sayaka

and Nonoa learned they were siblings the other day, since she was close friends with both

him and his sister, but he'd been told not to…by his sister, Yuki, of all people.

"Being told secrets is a burden to the person you're telling as well."

"…A 'burden'?"

Masachika had been puzzled by his sister's unexpected choice of words.

"Telling her might take a load off your shoulders, but by doing so, you'd be forcing Alya

to keep a secret of yours. She'd even have to hide it from Masha—her own sister. Besides,

how do you think she's going to feel going up against me during the election after learning

that we're siblings? Do you know for certain that it wouldn't hinder her performance?" Yuki

had explained with a serious expression.

"…!"

He'd been taken aback by her reasoning because she'd made a fair point.

"Yeah…you're right. Secrets are a burden to others as well… Huh," he'd replied,

impressed, while nodding a few times.

"Yeah, I remember reading it in some manga a while back," she'd added with a deadserious expression.

"Way to ruin the moment, Yuki."

And it wasthat exchange that'd led him to the conclusion that he should continue keeping

his relationship with Yuki a secret. Until the end of the election, at the very least. With that

being said, he still couldn't come up with a good excuse to get himself out of this situation,

and he was beginning to panic due to the impending sense of danger.

"O-oh, this? Yuki was losing our wrestling match, so she bit me. What a cheater, huh?

A sore loser is what she is, huh?"

He couldn't even think of a good excuse in the end and just went with a story consistent

with the other story he'd made up.

"Uh-huh…"

There was an ominous tone to her voice, so he glanced over to see how she was

reacting…when he saw a bone-chilling smile curling her lips. Her fingers slowly left

Masachika's neck and curled into a fist.

"Hey…do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

…He hadn't been able to disarm the bomb, it would seem, and the instant he realized

this, he decided to be dramatic.

"Heh! Of course, I know what you're thinking right now. I'm a gentleman. I understand

women." He smirked aloofly before lying back on the bed, smiling up at Alisa as if he were

an angel.

"Be gentle, okay?"

It was heaven. He wouldn't know if she was gentle…because he wouldn't remember

a thing.

"Ready?"

"Yeeeah, girl. Teach me a thing or two about how women think, yooo."

By the time he came to his senses, they had put a pause on their study session and were

outside his apartment. When he checked his phone, it was already 3:20…which meant twenty

minutes of his life were missing from his memory. In addition, they were in the hallway

outside his apartment, and he was trying to act out what he imagined cool kids talked like.

"…Why are you speaking that way?"

"I have no idea…homie."

He didn't know what was going on, but for some reason, whenever he looked at Alisa,

his back naturally straightened. It was clear that something had been instilled into him during

the missing twenty minutes of his life. Perhaps you could call it brainwashing, even.

"Well, stop. It's annoying."

"Word— Ahem. Yes, ma'am."

After she shot him another glare, he slapped his cheek to knock some sense back into

himself and returned to normal. He pondered the situation once more…and concluded that

Alisa had invited him on a date to "learn more about how women worked."

"…"

He wanted to comment on the absurdity of it all once he came to his senses, but there

was nothing he could do about it now, since they had already left the house. Therefore, he

reverently bowed his head and obediently followed the princess's orders.

"So? What would you like for me to do for you today, my dear madam?" he asked as if

he were her butler. Alisa's expression twitched in a somewhat annoyed manner at his poor

acting, and she coldly demanded:

"First, you're going to walk me to our destination."

"…Your wish is my command."

He offered her his arm, and she awkwardly entwined hers with his…then frowned.

"Wow. That look on your face says it all. 'Mmm… This isn't it.' Well, excuuuse me."

"I—I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"…If you say so. Anyway, it's pretty hot today, so we probably shouldn't be doing this,

regardless."

Sharing each other's body heat only made the summer heat worse, so Masachika swiftly

pulled her arm off his.

Alya's not the kind of person who'd enjoy a man walking her somewhere like this

anyway, he thought before glancing at her out of the corner of his eye and noticing she seemed

somewhat discontent.

"So…where do you want to go?"

"Isn't that your job to decide?"

"Huh? But…didn't you have a specific idea? Isn't that why you wanted to go out

together?"

"No. I told you we needed to go on a dat—on an excursion somewhere so you could

learn how women worked."

"…In other words, you're asking me to guess what you'd like?"

"For the most part, yes."

After brushing back her lustrous hair, she puffed out her chest a bit and continued with

a smug look on her face:

"Listen. You don't have to get every answer exactly right. All you need to do is your

best to make sure the person you're with is thrilled and has fun. That's what makes women

happy."

"Interesting. Are you sure you didn't learn that from a manga, though?"

"N-no! Of course not…"

The instant he pointed out that she may simply be parroting something she saw in a

manga, her voice trailed off, and her eyes began to wander. Masachika rolled his eyes at her

—she couldn't be any more obvious—but he decided to drop it and started to head toward

the elevator.

"Ready to go wherever the wind takes us?"

"Hey, what do you mean, 'wherever the wind takes us'?"

"It's just a figure of speech. Don't worry. I already have a place in mind."

"R-really? Good…"

Alisa quietly backed off because of how confident and serious his reply was, but his

"place in mind" was…

I guess we can take a walk around the station and just check out any shops Alya seems

interested in. Top all that off with a trip to the local sweets shop at the end, and we're good.

And yet he really was going to go wherever the wind took them. He was playing things

by ear, but tone-deaf. However, the moment he began walking, he started to get a bad feeling

in his gut because…

People are staring… Everyone's staring at us…

Alisa was completely oblivious to her surroundings. They were chatting on the way to

the station, but Alisa's eyes only traveled between the path in front of her and Masachika.

Not once did her eyes drift to anyone else.

Wow! Alya really looks people in the eye when she talks to them! What a polite young

lady!

He thought that as an escape from reality while Alisa steadily looked him in the eye.

"<…Maybe I should give you an even bigger one.>"

Masachika curiously wondered what her abrupt Russian whispers meant, but he

genuinely couldn't figure it out, so his eyes naturally shifted in her direction.

"What was that?"

"…That looks like it hurt," she mumbled as she peeked at his neck, which was exposed

behind his collar. It finally hit him. He finally figured out why Alisa had been staring at him

for so long.

O-ohhh! She wasn't looking me in the eye! She was looking at the bite mark on my neck!

Am I presumptuous or what?!

Utter embarrassment set his cheeks ablaze for ever thinking she'd been gawking at him.

Ahhhhhh! So that's what she was staring at… Hmm? Then what did she mean by "an

even bigger one"?

He pondered what it could mean…and was instantly overcome with incredible

mortification, entirely unlike what he'd been feeling seconds ago. He swiftly looked away

from Alisa, unable to maintain eye contact any longer, and idly peered into the shop window

behind her.

Arrrgh! Seriously?! I honestly want to know the emotions she's feeling when she says

stuff like that! Is it kind of like when kids used to write the name of the person they liked

on their eraser at school? From what I remember, the person you like would magically fall

in love with you, too, if nobody ever found said person's name on your eraser. Regardless,

I'm sure she enjoys the thrill of maybe getting caught more than anything. I even remember

kids who purposely dropped their eraser after writing the name of someone they didn't even

like… Wait.

"Whoa?!"

While he was staring into the show window in a pathetic attempt to avoid eye contact

with Alisa…he suddenly saw a familiar face and leaned back in astonishment.

"What is she—…?! Nonoa?!" Alisa shouted in surprise as well after looking over and

following his gaze. On the wall far past the show-window mannequins was a poster of Nonoa

mixed in with other Western models. Naturally, the pair stopped in their tracks and stared at

their schoolmate who was boldly displayed on the main street.

"Wh-whoa… It's like she's from a completely different dimension compared with your

average model…"

"Now that you mention it, I remember hearing she did modeling for her parent's

company."

"Same, but it didn't seem real until I saw this poster. I feel like I know someone famous

now."

She was dressed stylishly and was giving the camera a mysterious sidelong gaze. She

looked phenomenal even when up against professional models. If anything, you would think

she was a professional model if you didn't know the truth. Masachika gazed in admiration

until someone suddenly pinched his cheek.

"…Yeth?"

"Masachika? Do you know why you're being pinched right now?"

He looked at his companion, only to be met with a reprimanding gaze. It wasthis question

that reminded him he was on a date to learn more about women. Oops, he thought as he

placed a hand on his pinched cheek and replied:

"…Because I'm looking at another woman while I'm on a date with you."

"Exactly. You would have lost a lot of points if this was a real date. But it isn't, and I

don't really care that much."

Alisa swiftly turned and started walking ahead, so Masachika immediately caught up to

her, rubbing his throbbing cheek.

Is it me…or did she pinch me pretty damn hard for someone who didn't care…?

Even now, he felt like he was being watched—observed like never before. But perhaps

this was nothing more than his imagination as well.

"<Why won't you look at me?>"

Huh, I guess it's not just my imagination.

"<Whatever happened to being able admire me all day?>"

Yep, she's mad… She's furious…

In his mind, Masachika began to sweat anxiously, while Alisa only continued to mutter

complaints in Russian and fidget with her hair. Why wouldn't he look at her? Because he

didn't have the courage to look her in the eye. After all, what could be scarier than a beautiful

woman who was clearly angry?

"Hey, uh… I know this is going to sound like an excuse, but I wasn't staring because I

was captivated by her or anything. I was just a little impressed to see her on a poster…"

"Why are you telling me that? I don't care. It's only natural to be drawn to beautiful

women. You are a 'man,' after all."

"Yeah, I guess. That'd explain why I can't take my eyes off you sometimes as well."

"Wh-what is wrong with you?"

Having her sarcastic remark hit back with a dead-serious reply made her instantly look

away out of embarrassment. Masachika smirked, relieved to know that she was as easy to

deal with as always.

"<I know how you feel…>"

Hnnng?!

He imagined himself vomiting blood, as usual. He thought how it wasn't fair that she

consistently struck the moment he let his guard down.

Oh… Alya can't take her eyes off the good-looking guys at school, either, huh? Must

be talking about Hikaru…

The imaginary blood continued to spew out of his mouth as his mind wandered aimlessly

(as a method of self-defense). He didn't care that she was sending him meaningful glances.

He didn't care at all. Nope.

"At any rate, there's no way I'd ever have my eyes on Nonoa…unless I had a reason

to be on my guard."

"Your guard?"

"Oh, uh…"

His inner thoughts slipped off his tongue, and he stammered. Explaining why he was

suspicious of Nonoa wasn't an easy task, and Alisa might not empathize or even sympathize

with how he felt even if he did explain. To most, Nonoa was very well-behaved in spite of

her appearance… Probably because of how lethargic she always seemed, she came across as

harmless. Masachika agreed with this evaluation. After all, Nonoa was lazy, so she tried to

avoid trouble for the most part. Masachika believed she wouldn't do anything to

unnecessarily stir the pot… However, he also knew that the only thing that would ever restrain

her from taking action would be if it was a pain in the ass to do. While there may have

been a few exceptions, there was nothing else that could deter her for the most part. Whether

something was illegal or immoral didn't matter. The only thing stopping her was her own

laziness. If "necessity" happened to surpass "pain in the ass" in her mind, then she would

take action, even if that meant going against what was legal or morally right. And Masachika

understood this through both experience and his gut instincts, which was why he couldn't

help but feel wary and fearful of her. But he didn't plan on explaining that to Alisa. It would

make it sound like he was talking about Nonoa behind her back, and he didn't want to

brainwash Alisa into thinking Nonoa was a bad person. That was why he promptly began

to make excuses.

"Like…whenevershe talksto me, her goons are always giving me looks. It's not Nonoa's

fault, but they honestly won't stop staring at me even if all Nonoa does is say hi to me, so

I get a little wary whenever I see her."

"Oh, okay…"

"Yep. Plus, her blond hair really sticks out, so my eyes are naturally drawn to it."

"Oh? And not mine?"

"I think your silver hair is beautiful as well…"

"I'm kidding." She softly laughed, twirling her hair in the air while continuing:

"I used to have blond hair, too, you know?"

"Y-you used to have blond hair…? …! Oh! You mean like how some kids' eyes and

hair change color when they get older? I heard that was a thing in the West! That's so cool!"

Masachika's eyes sparkled with exhilaration, causing Alisa to blink in a somewhat

overwhelmed manner.

"Y-yes, but it's rare for hair to lose pigment like mine."

"Really? Heh. A blond Alya, huh?"

"…What? Does that interest you?"

"I am curious to see what you'd look like, to be honest."

"O-oh… Well, I suppose I could show you an old picture of me sometime, then."

"Seriously? I can't wait."

Even now, Alisa's beauty was like something out of a fairy tale, so she must have looked

like an adorable little angel when she was a kid. The thought alone made Masachika smile.

Yuki used to be a little angel, too, when she was younger…unlike now.

He imagined the little-devil Yuki'ssinister cackling "Geh-heh-heh," reminding him how

cruel time could be. His eyes went unfocused, and he stared off into the distance. Where has

that little sister gone? Then again, seeing her now would only bring back old wounds, so…

"Hey…"

"Hmm?"

"What about you, Masachika?"

"…?"

"What were you like as a kid?"

Masachika could feel his expression stiffening at the unexpected question she'd

hesitantly asked.

"…Where did that come from?" he asked back with a voice just asstiff as his expression.

He wasn't able to come up with a witty comment off the top of his head, and he didn't know

how to tactfully reply, either.

"Ah…" Alisa softly grunted, seemingly having noticed the sudden change in his

behavior before more timidly responding:

"Well, after figuring out I didn't even know when your birthday was, I realized I didn't

know that much about you yet, which could be a problem, so…"

"Oh… All right."

He immediately felt guilty after noticing her discouragement,since he'd ruined the mood

because of his behavior. Not wanting to further ruin their date, he switched to a more cheerful

tone and continued:

"Well…I took things a lot more seriously back then. I didn't sleep during class, and I

never forgot my textbooks, either."

"Really?"

"Yep. I wasn't even an otaku back then. Heh. It was probably becoming an anime nerd

back in middle school that made me stop taking things so seriously…"

"Oh…"

Her gaze appeared to grow cold at his joke, but the gears in her head seemed to be

moving somewhat rapidly as well.

"…What's your favorite food?"

In his mind, he chuckled at her out-of-nowhere, innocent question…then felt immediate

gratitude when he realized she was simply being considerate.

"Hmm… Well, I do like spicy food, as you know. I also love ramen and curry like most

people, too."

"Spicy food…"

"Do you not like spicy food?"

"I don't…know why you'd ask that. We ate spicy ramen together. Remember?"

"Oh, right."

He was asking her that because it'd been noticeable that she didn't like it. Alisa

apparently still hadn't realized how obvious she'd been when she seemed to be on the verge

of death while forcing herself to eat that extremely spicy ramen.

But I'm not going to bring it up anymore if she's this adamant that she doesn't hate

spicy food.

While he was baffled by her stubbornness, Alisa suddenly asked:

"Then is there anything you don't like?"

"Not really. I was raised to not be a picky eater…"

"Huh…"

"Oh. But I wasn't really a fan of the borscht my grandfather used to make. Tasted way

too earthy—like straight up dirt to me."

"It was 'earthy'…?"

"Yeah, I think he just doesn't know how to cook beets right, but thanks to that, the

borscht you made for me when I was sick was revolutionary. I had no idea soup could be

that good," he said, genuinely praising her.

"R-really? I'm glad."

Alisa suddenly looked away, then lifted her chin and began twirling her hair around her

finger.

"Then…I suppose I could cook for you again sometime. Maybe next time we do

homework together?"

"Wait. What? No, I can't make you cook for me. The borscht took four whole hours

to make, right?"

"Of course, you're going to help. You can cook, right?"

"All right… That could work."

"Then it's settled. Let's cook together next time we study at your place… We should

probably go shopping for the ingredients together as well."

"Yeah…sure." Masachika nodded with a somewhat uncomfortable smile.

"Heh." Alisa laughed mirthfully. But her eyes suddenly popped open with realization,

and she looked down.

"<J-just like a married couple, huh?>"

…Derp.

She fidgeted and glanced over at him while continuing to play with her hair, but

Masachika simply stared into the distance and ignored her, since he had grown accustomed

to this behavior. Do nothing. Say nothing.

A couple, huh?

But he understood whatshe meant after giving itsome more thought. Shopping together,

cooking together, and eating together at the table was just the start of what couples living

together did. He imagined the scenario…and was surprised at himself for actually thinking

it didn't seem half bad.

I mean…I don't hate spending time with Alya.

She was always very stern, very prideful, got after him for the smallest things, and always

tried to one-up him…but it never bothered him. He actually thought it was cute how she

would take everything so seriously and would put on airs… In fact, he even loved those traits

of hers.

I feel like I'm floating…

Before he realized it, he was smiling and in a really good mood. As the warmth swelled

in his chest, he almost unwittingly wrapped his hand gently around Alisa's.

"…! …What?"

She jumped in astonishment and stopped in her tracks with wide eyes.

"I just wanted to hold your hand. Is that a problem?" asked Masachika, looking back at

her with an affectionate smile.

"Huh? Uh…"

His straightforward response flustered her, and her eyes darted about. A few seconds

went by until she managed to compose herself, lift her chin, and respond:

"W-well, I suppose some girls like it when the guy is a little assertive like this. Generally

speaking, of course. But…hmm…Isuppose you can hold my hand.Just this one time, though,

okay? I was the one who suggested we go out today, after all."

Masachika couldn't help but smile at her reasoning—which could easily be interpreted

as an excuse.

"I appreciate it. Anyway, ready to go?"

"Y-yes…"

As he gently guided her by the hand, Alisa's expression softened sweetly, and the proud

look on her face a few seconds ago was nowhere to be found. She alternatively glanced at

their hands and his face while quietly following his lead.

"<Quit it… You're making me blush…>"

She whispered in Russian, looking away from him and softly squeezing his hand back.

Internally writhing in pain…would be what Masachika would usually do but not this time.

He smiled a bittersweet smile instead because for some reason, he was at peace and able

to accept her bashful comment without even flinching. Meanwhile, Alisa continued to gaze

at his profile and his kind, gentle smile. They continued to hold hands and slowly walked

among the countless stalls that lined the street downtown near the station. They didn't speak,

only conveying how they felt through their shared warmth. They simply felt each other…but

after around five minutes went by, Alisa, who was seemingly getting used to holding hands,

began to slowly look around with a furrowed brow.

"…Hey."

"Hmm?"

"I'm starting to feel like we're just aimlessly walking without a destination."

Masachika's heart skipped a beat at the sudden accusation, a cold bead of sweat running

down his spine. She was right. Hit the nail on the head. In fact, Masachika honestly didn't

even know where he was at the moment. He figured if they took a stroll downtown, Alisa

would eventually find something that caught her eye…which was another way of saying they

were aimlessly walking around without a destination. His blind optimism wasn't helping,

either, because he was starting to feel like just going on a walk together would be enough…

and that was one of the factors that'd led him to this part of town, which he had never been

to before.

But seriously, where am I? Dammit! I should have been paying more attention!

By the time he came back to his senses, it was already too late. He was completely lost.

But telling her that would most certainly put her in a bad mood, especially since her mood

was already starting to sour. Telling her "not to worry because he already had a place in

mind" at the start of the date wasn't doing him any favors, either. There was no way he could

admit that he was winging it now. That was why, in an act of desperation, he decided to

take a chance. Although sweating a cold sweat, he put up a front and looked puzzled as if he

couldn't comprehend why she would question his integrity.

"We're not walking around aimlessly downtown, and we're almost there."

"…Really?"

"Yep. We need to take a right at that corner over there, and…"

He promptly pointed at the corner up ahead, even though he obviously had no idea what

was over there. That wasn't an issue, though, because he never said the place that he was

taking her wasjust around the corner. There were countlessthings he could finish hissentence

with: "go up the stairs," "check the information board," or even "Huh? Maybe it was that

corner over there?" At any rate, he could make any adjustment necessary after they turned

the corner.

However, this cheap trick of his failed him the instant they turned the corner…because

it was a dead end. There was a single shop at the end of the street…and it was a lingerie

shop of all things.

Good-bye, cruel world.

Masachika stopped in mute amazement, his face twitching relative to the high stakes of

his bet. A violent blizzard seemed to roar next to him, and Alisa's hand tightened around his

as if to say, "It's too late to run now."

"Hey."

"Aye."

"Is this where you wanted to take me?"

It was as if her chilling voice echoed from within the deepest layers of the Antarctic

permafrost. Masachika realized that this was the final question, and his life depended on his

answer, so he faced Alisa with the most earnest of expressions, looked her right in the eye,

and replied:

"I figured you were starting to grow out of your old ones, so—"

Those were the last words he said before reaching heaven for a second time that day. He

couldn't remember a thing, but what he could recall…was that it wasn't pleasant.

"<…How did you know?>"